Auteur cinema of a very narrow stripe, this personalizes a familiar genre to advance a singularly pessimistic view of humanity. full review

Centurion wraps itself in talk of duty and honor, but really it's just another cinematic death-trip. full review

The film has a resigned bitterness, hard to shake off, that feels right for the experience of tough guys, from whatever period of history, who find themselves at the tattered edge of what they take to be civilization. full review

Marshall shows off the breathtaking landscape, but with interiors, he populates the ale houses and encampments with cliches. full review

Bloody well done. full review

Rousing if slightly predictable. full review

Unpretentious swords-and-sandals film crafts a tight survival drama out of Roman Empire lore. full review

There are, by my count, six standard types of violence in film these days: Tarantino, comic book, Scorsese, martial arts, horror and stupid. That's right: stupid. For an example, look no further than Centurion. full review

It's a darned entertaining outing from a director who knows action, loves narration and doesn't share Hollywood's fear of period pieces that don't involve Greek gods. full review

Far more entertaining, and infinitely less cumbersome, than its recent big-budget Hollywood counterparts. full review

For all its analogies to Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, or wherever, the underlying thrust of Centurion is its celebration of bloodlust. full review

Sack, pillage, repeat. Heads will roll. And bounce. And be stuck on pikes. full review

By turns heroic, fearsome, funny, fateful and, oh, so brutal, with swords hacking off heads at every turn. full review

Flaming arrows, spears, and knives have no problem finding their way to the back of a mouth. The profanity is delightful. And the general atmosphere is grim. The movie just isn't terribly inspired. full review

It offers riveting storytelling, gorgeous cinematography and scenery, loads of gore, and a politically complicated history lesson. full review

No one can claim the bloodshed was toned down in the quest for a PG-13 -- and I consider that to be a positive quality. full review

Most of the characters are so characterless that you can't tell who they are when they get impaled or beheaded, and you can't remember who they used to be after they're dispatched. Not that it matters. full review

When it comes to crunchy impalings and messy arterial geysers, Marshall's a maestro. full review

[A] highly enjoyable action-adventure. full review